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Update: Three killed, 23 injured in Philippine hotel fire

Update: Three killed, 23 injured in Philippine hotel fire

Three people were killed and 23 injured by a major hotel fire in the Philippine capital Manila on Sunday, with others plucked by helicopter from the rooftop of the building engulfed in thick black smoke, authorities said.

The blaze at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion, a high-rise hotel and casino complex, was still raging nine hours after it began on Sunday morning, with two people missing as hundreds fled the area.

Update: Three killed, 23 injured in Philippine hotel fire

Heavy smoke covers several floors of the Waterfront Manila Pavilion building, after a fire broke out the hotel and casino complex in Manila on March 18, 2018. Four people were killed and 19 feared trapped by a major hotel fire in the Philippine capital Manila on March 18, with others plucked from the rooftop by helicopter, authorities said. // AFP PHOTO
    Authorities initially said four people had died but later clarified that one victim had been revived in hospital, according to Metro Manila Development Authority acting chief Jojo Garcia. 
    The three who died had likely suffocated while another 23 people had been taken to hospital, said Manila city's disaster risk reduction chief, Johnny Yu.
    "The smoke is very heavy and the wind is strong. That is our enemy now -- the smoke and the wind -- which is why our firefighters are having a hard time," Yu told reporters. 
    Clouds of smoke covered several floors of the building and swathed ladders of firefighters, some of whom had difficulty breathing, according to an AFP photographer on the scene. 

Update: Three killed, 23 injured in Philippine hotel fire

A rescued fireman who was trapped among the heavy smoke whilst battling a fire that hit Waterfront Manila Pavilion building, a hotel and casino complex, is given first aid by colleagues in Manila on March 18, 2018.  // AFP PHOTO
    Fire authorities were investigating the cause of the blaze, which is believed to have begun in the casino or mezzanine area of the 21-floor hotel which regularly hosted both locals and foreigners, Yu added. 
    Responders sent a helicopter to rescue people trapped on the roof while crews battled to evacuate others from lower floors.
    Manila is one of 16 cities making up Metro Manila. Nearby cities were helping put out the blaze, Manila's fire department said. 
    "This is a major fire. There were those who inhaled the smoke and were brought to the hospital," senior fire officer Marlon Banaag told AFP. 

Update: Three killed, 23 injured in Philippine hotel fire

 Extinguishing works are going on to fight of a blaze at a hotel and casino complex in Manila, Philippines, 18 March 2018. According to reports, at least four people died and several others were injured after a fire broke out at hotel and casino complex in Manila. // EPA-EFE PHOTO
    On Sunday afternoon, President Rodrigo Duterte conducted an aerial survey of the fire aboard a helicopter, photos from his aide showed. 
    Deadly blazes break out regularly in the Philippines, particularly in slum areas where there are virtually no safety standards.
    The deadliest in recent years was in suburban Manila where 72 people died in 2015 at a factory which makes rubber slippers.

Update: Three killed, 23 injured in Philippine hotel fire

Heavy smoke engulfs the pool side of the Waterfront Manila Pavilion building, a hotel and casino complex, after a fire broke out in Manila on March 18, 2018. Four people were killed and 19 feared trapped by a major hotel fire in the Philippine capital Manila on March 18, with others plucked from the rooftop by helicopter, authorities said. // AFP PHOTO 
      In the southern city of Davao, 38 people were killed in December by a fire that ravaged a shopping mall and a call centre. 
    And in June last year, an armed attacker set the Resorts World Manila hotel-casino complex on fire, claiming the lives of 37 people. 

Update: Three killed, 23 injured in Philippine hotel fire

A fireman stands on top of a firetruck next to heavy smoke at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion building, after a fire broke out at the hotel and casino complex in Manila on March 18, 2018. Four people were killed and 19 feared trapped by a major hotel fire in the Philippine capital Manila on March 18, with others plucked from the rooftop by helicopter, authorities said. // AFP PHOTO

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